Ketamine therapy is gaining increasing interest for its potential to treat mental health issues resistant to traditional methods. However, it may not be right for everybody. In this article, we’ll go over who is not a good candidate for ketamine therapy.
What Is Ketamine?
Ketamine is a dissociative drug that makes a person feel a sense of detachment from reality. It was first made in a laboratory in 1962 by chemist Calvin Stevens at Parle=Davis Laboratories as part of an effort to find a drug that could induce anesthesia and pain management without the risk of respiratory depression as seen with opioids.
It’s particularly valuable in children’s anesthesia and in patients with asthma or other pulmonary complications where other anesthetics may pose a higher risk. However, beyond its original medical use, off-label ketamine use is growing in popularity as a treatment for depression. Recent studies suggest it can rapidly reduce symptoms of treatment-resistant depression.
Ketamine is an addictive substance. It’s a Schedule III controlled substance in the United States under the Controlled Substances Act, reflecting its medical uses but also its potential for abuse and dependency.
What Is Ketamine Therapy?
Ketamine therapy, also known as ketamine-assisted therapy or ketamine infusion treatment, is a treatment approach that uses low doses of ketamine to treat various psychiatric conditions, such as depression, anxiety, and PTSD. It’s not FDA-approved for this purpose but is growing in popularity, with growing scientific research behind it.
Ketamine treatment works by blocking the activity of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA), a receptor in the brain that influences mood regulation, cognition, and pain perception.
By blocking this receptor, this spurs the brain to release glutamate, which, in turn, spurs the growth of new neural connections. This neuroplasticity is thought to be the key to ketamine therapy’s miraculous antidepressant effects.
Criteria for Ketamine Treatment
To be a good candidate for ketamine-assisted therapy, here are the criteria:
- Be an adult aged 18 years or older
- Have documentation that your depression is “treatment-resistant”
- Have a clinical diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), Bipolar Disorder I (BDI), or Bipolar Disorder II (BDII)
- Be medically reviewed by a qualified anesthesiologist
Treatment-resistant depression means having had clinical depression and made at least two attempts to treat it with traditional antidepressants.
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Call 866-881-1184Who Is Not a Good Candidate for Ketamine Therapy?
While beneficial in many cases, some people are just not good candidates for ketamine infusion therapy. Many ketamine treatment clinics will not take a person suffering from psychosis, for example, even if it’s a symptom of major depression. Patients with borderline personality disorder, neurological disorders like dementia, or who have brain injuries are also not good candidates for ketamine therapy.
Clients who, within the previous three months, met the DSM-5 criteria for alcohol use disorder or other substance use disorders are also not good ketamine therapy candidates.
Other contraindications for ketamine therapy include uncontrolled hypertension, obesity, pregnancy, and a history of heart attack or cardiovascular disease.
Alternatives to Ketamine Therapy
For individuals seeking alternatives to ketamine therapy, especially for conditions such as depression, anxiety, or other mental health disorders, there are various established treatment options. These can range from psychological therapies to pharmacological interventions.
Here’s a list of options for those who are not a good candidate for ketamine therapy:
Traditional Antidepressants
These include SSRIs (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors), SNRIs (Serotonin and Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors), tricyclic antidepressants, and MAOIs (Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors). These medications can help adjust the levels of neurotransmitters in the brain, thereby improving mood, anxiety, and other symptoms.
Mood Stabilizers
Mood stabilizers are a class of medications that treat mood disorders, such as bipolar disorder, where they help to balance mood swings and reduce the frequency and severity of episodes of mania and depression. These medications work by affecting neurotransmitter activity in the brain to promote emotional stability. Examples include Lithium, valproic acid, and other anticonvulsant drugs.
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Check Your CoverageMental Health Treatment at South Coast Behavioral Health
If you or a loved one are seeking treatment for addiction, South Coast Behavioral Health is here to help. The first step in treating addiction is a medical detox. This means using drugs to manage withdrawal symptoms.
Our medical detox program in California is staffed by caring and compassionate professionals who can provide you with medications to manage your withdrawal symptoms.
At South Coast, we take pride in offering care that addresses specific issues. To that end, we offer gender-specific detox programs, with medical detox for men in Irvine, CA, and medical detox for women in Huntington Beach, CA.
After detoxing, proper treatment can begin.
Treatment for substance abuse takes place along an entire spectrum of care. Along that entire spectrum are various behavioral therapies, support groups, and the use of medically-assisted treatment (MAT).
These levels of treatment are, in order, as follows:
Residential Treatment in California
After successfully completing medical detox, you’ll receive inpatient treatment in Orange County, California. There, you’ll receive medically-assisted treatment and dual diagnosis treatment to deal with any cravings or co-occurring mental health issues you may be battling.
We also offer residential treatment facilities in Costa Mesa, Irvine, and Huntington Beach for those who desire gender-specific treatment. There, patients get round-the-clock medical attention and monitoring while living at the institution full-time.
In addition to individual and group counseling and medication management, you’ll also have access to leisure activities and family support services.
Partial Hospitalization in California
Most clients start substance abuse treatment with South Coast in our residential treatment program. After completing that, many desire something that still provides structure and support but with extra space and time to oneself. For that, we offer Partial Hospitalization in Newport Beach.
A step down from inpatient care but with more structure than conventional outpatient programs, partial hospitalization offers a good balance for those looking to ease back into normal life. Clients can receive care five to seven days a week for a number of hours each day, returning back to their homes in the evening.
This way, they can recover without putting their daily lives completely on hold, receiving intense therapeutic interventions like group and individual therapy, skill development, and medication management as necessary.
Intensive Outpatient Treatment in California
For those leaving inpatient residential treatment or partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient programs (IOP) are yet another gradual step forward on the road to recovery.
With a focus on group therapy, individual counseling, and education, clients undergoing Intensive Outpatient Treatment in Newport Beach can meet three to five days a week. Each session lasts three hours.
This level of care requires the least amount of attendance at a facility.
Start Today
If you or a loved one are struggling with addiction or mental health care, but wonder how long treatment takes or have other questions about building a treatment plan, call us at 866-881-1184 or contact us here. Our highly qualified staff will be happy to help give you an idea of what to expect from the treatment process and addiction recovery timeline, verify your insurance, and assist with any other questions you may have about the effectiveness of ketamine therapy.
